April 10, 2014 -- He’s never won the NHRA 4Wide Nationals and he admits that he doesn’t especially enjoy the once-a-year experience, but even Steve Torrence has found a reason to look forward to this week’s return to zMAX Dragway for the fifth renewal of drag racing’s most unique event.

“I hate going there,” admitted the 30-year-old driver of the Capco Contractors Top Fuel dragster, “but I know I’ve got a car that will run well and if we can go three rounds, just like we have been doing all year, then we just might win a race.”

Even though he is off to the best start of his pro career, the talented young Texan has yet to race in a final round. He won two racing rounds in each of the first four events in the Mello Yello Series, enough to put him solidly in third place in driver points.

If he wins the same number of rounds this Sunday, he knows he’ll be racing for the championship instead of just for third place.

Despite his feelings about the race, Torrence does have a four-wide strategy. Basically, it is to try and ignore all the extracurricular activity going on around him.

“I’ve been trying to work on my focus and concentration,” said the 2005 Top Alcohol Dragster world champion. “You really need that when you go to the four wide. You don’t change your game plan; you just have to concentrate a lot more because there’s so much going on.

“If you think about it too much, you’ll confuse yourself,” he said, “so I don’t change my routine. You just have to focus on your bulb (the light atop the Christmas Tree starting apparatus) and the rest them (for the other three drivers) will come on when they come on.”

Actually, Torrence hasn’t done as poorly at the 4Wide Nationals as his comments might suggest. In fact, he earned the first No. 1 start of his pro career at the Carolina race in 2012.

“Hogan’s run pretty good there,” Torrence said of crew chief Richard Hogan, “and I’m confident in the car we have. We just need to win that third round.”

Although he trails Doug Kalitta of Ypsilanti, Mich., and former champion Antron Brown of Brownsburg, Ind., in the points chase, Torrence has been impressive, particularly insomuch as his is a one-car effort while the drivers ahead of him have the benefit of additional data provided by teammates.

In addition to his consistency, the graduate of Kilgore (Texas) College has recorded personal best numbers on the 1,000 foot course, directing his Capco hybrid through the timers in 3.758 seconds at 329.02 miles per hour.